Of the Sindorei
by LadyRaftina
Summary: Set at the beginning of BC, a time of many changes for those on Azeroth. But as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. What can two people of opposite factions do once they have fallen in love? Can they go neutral, and better yet, stay neutral as the years go by around them? Nelf male x Belf female, others. Eventual character death warning. Rating may change
1. Chapter 1: From Ashenvale

Welcome to my story! This is my first serious fanfiction in years, so I apologize ahead of time for any rust I have concerning that or lore. Storyline starts just a hair before BC, or right at the beginning. World of Warcraft is owned by Blizzard, although I am taking various liberties to things. So abilities, items, and possibly some lore may not match up as time goes on to make it more AU than anything. Telonis, Nishunel, and Kantal are owned by my friend, WhiteKatsu, amongst others in the future, and there will be other people's characters getting cameos. Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 1: From Ashenvale<p>

The thrill of the hunt was a terrible thing. All life should be held with care, and the ending of such a thing should never be something as enjoyable as a thrill. The Kaldorei, or Night Elves as the other members of the Alliance called them, were taught from a young age to respect all forms of life. While it was just to protect your home and family, or to hunt to feed them, there was no pleasure in ending the life of another.

It was something that Nishunel, even as a hunter, took to heart while in the forests of Darkshore. Or, perhaps, it was more because of than despite of his chosen class that it was even more sacred to him than say a mage or warrior. Notching an arrow, the proud elven male took aim at a stag and watched for a moment. His own pet, an owl of enormous size was perched in a nearby tree as it awaited its master's command to engage. With any luck though, it would take just one arrow to hit just right. With patience and skill mastered over hundreds of years of practice, Nishunel finally found his opportunity and loosed the arrow. Piercing the animal's heart, the animal staggered just a few paces before it fell to the ground, quickly dying from the mortal wound.

That was the moment a sleek feral cat padded up to the stag, having been stealthed the entire time. The indigo coloring of the fur gave way to lavender skin and blue hair as the cat shifted into a female night elf. Gently, she placed a hand the animal's still head and whispered soft prayers of respect and gratitude. The animal's demise would help others live after all. This particular stag was the fourth one that Nishunel had killed and would likely be the last for today.

"Knadia, where is Telonis?" Nishunel questioned the woman, his warm smile betraying the close relationship they had. And why wouldn't he? This woman, with a lighter shade of blue hair than himself, was his younger sister. While he was nearly 450 years of age, his sister was quickly approaching 50.

The younger elf looked up to him and smiled. "He's finishing up preparations for our trip of course," was her answer. "Perhaps now would be a good time to go back?" she suggested, looking a bit eager. They had been at this for much of their waking hours after all.

A grin spread across Nishunel's face as he looked over at his sibling. The reason for her eagerness likely pertained to his dear friend Telonis. The man, like Knadia, was a druid although their disciplines differed. Still, the trio had been very close for many years and even to Nishunel's inexperience in the matter, could tell that both his sister and best friend had gotten even closer in the past decade. In fact, if he were to be told today he was going to be an uncle, he would not be in the least bit shocked. Breaking out of his thoughts, they brought the animal carcass to his mount – a large nightsaber.

Knadia had also brought a mount that already carried another carcass on the back of her own big cat. The two elven siblings went back to the small village of Lor'Danel to see about selling these animal carcasses. While they lived in Darnassus, they typically traveled out here to do their hunting. Either Telonis would skin the animals and they'd sell the rest, or they would sell the entire animal. While the Kaldorei didn't eat much (or any) red meat, they did have adventurers that would happily buy cuts of meat for decent coin. Today, they were just happy with selling the entire thing. Nishunel noticed that his sister seemed extremely giddy, and although he knew she was excited to be going on an adventure with her two most favorite men in the world, he hadn't spent half of a century with her to not know there was something... Yes, something he didn't know about was definitely going on.

Quirking an eyebrow at his sister as they got their haul for the day to a leather shopkeeper, he decided to take the chance. "So," he began. "You seem pretty happy today."

Knadia looked at Nishunel and recognized the look in his eyes. Her then guilty look that surfaced for only a moment confirmed what he knew. However, before she could attempt to respond in any way, truth or excuses, another male voice pierced the air.

"Ah! About time you two returned!"

The owner of the voice was a white-haired druid, a grin on his face as he joined up with the siblings. He kept his grin on as he got up to them and his glowing, yellow eyes had a look of mirth to them. From Nishunel they went to Knadia's beaming face, and his grinned widened a bit. "What kept you so two so long? I thought I was the one that was always stopping to smell the flowers."

Nishunel chuckled and clapped his friend on the back. "You know how Knadia loves flowers," he joked, also directing the blame to her.

The youngest of the trio pouted before turning around. "If you two children are done goofing off, I'd like to get home and finish preparing for our trip to Ashenvale. The more time we spend here, the less time we'll have later on," she chided, turning her nose up for extra effect.

The two men laughed as they followed her. "Now now, Knadia," Telonis began, placing a hand on her shoulder as they walked to the flight master at the docks. "you're starting to act like one of those blasted high elves."

It was an understood fact that Telonis did not care for their ancestral cousins, and Knadia wasn't too far behind him - although Nishunel wondered if Telonis wasn't having some influence on her in that. He himself wasn't sure what to believe about the other elves. After all, the incidents occurred before they were born.

"Pfft," the female druid scoffed. "If I am, it's all your fault, Tel!"

It was at that point that they reached the flight master on the docks and paid for their way back to the village on Teldrassil. Aside of the playful banter that they enjoyed most often, it seemed silence was king on their way home. They didn't get another sentence out even as they got into the door of Nishunel's home, having decided it would be their meeting place for plans. As shown by the extra supplies laying about, it was also the place they had chosen to spend their last night in for what would be a month or so. Nish placed his money pouch on the counter, the source of their income for this trip. Thus, the cloth pouch felt heavier than usual. He then took time out to put up his equipment and popped outside to check on his owl. Once back inside, he spotted Telonis and Knadia sitting together on the couch and seemingly waiting for him.

"So then, we should probably get to bed soon," Nishunel started, being the unofficial leader of their group. Dawn had been creeping up when they had returned and he was starting to feel tired from the hunting and traveling they had done so far.

Telonis nodded, then looked to Knadia who gave him an earnest look before turning his gaze to Nishunel. "Nish," he began, choosing his words for the hunter even as he spoke them. "Knadia and I have something we wish to tell you."

The man in question tilted his head a bit in curiosity. "What is it?" he asked, wondering where this had come from. The two looked somber on the outside, but flashes of joy and nervousness would surface in both their expressions and eyes as he awaited the answer. Truly, the suspense was getting to him!

"I've asked Knadia to be my wife, and would like your blessing," Telonis finally answered, the reply somewhat surprising Nishunel.

No, the fact that those two would be mates at all didn't shock him, it was the title and unspoken promise of a wedding. That was a human tradition, not a Kaldorei tradition. He looked between the two with confusion until he realized they were waiting for his blessing. "Oh! Oh of course. ...Y-you have my blessing. But...a wedding?" he questioned, being his turn to get an answer.

Knadia and Telonis looked at each other in visible relief, the former looking to Nish. "Yes, something like that. While you were busy getting lessons in Stormwind, I happened across one. It's a beautiful ceremony, although a bit too lavish. Ours will be simpler, and our vows made to Elune in the open night air," she smiled, visibly imagining it as she spoke. The way her face lit up was perhaps too much for Telonis as he moved a hand to her chin and gently kissed her then.

Nishunel was happy for them, he truly was. Although, he secretly hoped that this would also cure them of their never ending crusade to find a woman for him. More than once had he been directed to go on dates with no success. With any luck they'd be too much into each other to even notice that their work wasn't done concerning him. "Do you two still want to stay here tonight?" he decided to ask, unsure.

Knadia laughed and smiled as she said, "of course we do! Tel and I wouldn't have it any other way, Nish." She stood up and went over to hug her big lug of a brother tightly. She could feel Nish ruffle her hair a bit with one hand as he returned her hug with his other arm. "Just because I am engaged doesn't take away your responsibility as an older brother."

Nishunel chuckled as he heard her speak and smiled down at her. "Then we should get ready for bed. It's a decent flight down to Astranaar and we'll likely have much to do once we arrive too," he said, letting go of her and moving to get himself ready for rest.

The trip would start early on in the evening and it was hours before they set foot into Astranaar without incident - largely due to the fact that they took mounts from the flight master. Nishunel and his two comrades walked up to a Sentinel, handing their letter about the mission they were given, and waited as the female elf regarded them with a nod. A quick set of directions was all it took and they could settle in. According to reports, small skirmishes towards the southern end of the forest had started due to small groups of Horde members terrorizing both locals and traveling Alliance members. The problem was fairly minor compared to other things that the Sentinels were dealing with; however, and that was where people such as they came in. Nishunel suspected that they would be paid less than a typical group of Sentinels their size. Still, it was something to earn more money and get some battle practice in.

"Nish?" a feminine voice spoke, getting his attention.

A quick look to his side showed it was Knadia that had knocked him right out of his thoughts. He gave her a questioning look that silently showed her that he was listening now.

"Just be sure you and Telonis don't stray too far from me. I am your healer after all," she said, her voice finally giving away her worry. While he and Telonis had been in battles prior to this, his sister didn't have nearly as much experience. Sure, she was adept at closing wounds, but the idea of being right in harm's way and seeing the two men she loved getting hurt...that was another thing entirely.

"We'll be sure to stay with you as if someone poured sap on all of us before shoving us together," chuckled Telonis. "You worry too much, love."

The blush on her face was unmistakable, and the two men grinned at her.

However, as they quickly learned, their mission was not a top priority by any means and it would be the next morning before they'd have all the information to do their job. So over the next few hours, the three split from the group to prepare or find time to kill out of sheer boredom. Nishunel was going over supplies and learning what he could from those in Astranaar, Telonis had been bumming around, and Knadia had disappeared from sight. So, Telonis decided to search for his fiancé. It didn't take him long to realize one of Nishunel's personal items was missing during his search though, and immediately went to look for the sentinel's training grounds.

Amongst the women that were garbed in the easily recognizable armor of the sentinels, was Knadia in her druidic garb. Really, to his internal amusement, she stuck out like a sore thumb like that, and in her hands was Nishunel's bow. Even though her archery form had definitely looked practiced, the target she was firing at told another story completely. Many arrows had hit their target; however, many others were laying on the ground, seemingly to never fulfill their purpose in this life.

He walked up to her from behind just as she let an arrow fly and hit towards the edge of the target. A look of frustration appeared on her face and she glared at the arrow as if it were the fault of the arrow and not the archer. Slipping his arms around her waist, he pressed a kiss on the side of her head.

"You know, you could always go back to be a hunter if you wanted," he said, pulling her back against him. "Nish always felt very supportive of you taking the same path he did."

"Tel," Knadia began, looking from the corner of her eye at him. "I like being a druid now. I like being able to heal those I care about. As a hunter, the most I could do was put on bandages and pray that it would be enough. …This way, I can make sure neither of you leave me as so many have left over time. This…this is just something to pass time with, or help me clear my mind."

He saw an opportunity and took it, kissing her softly. "Yes, that look of anger on your face certainly gives one the idea that your mind was clearing," he grinned as he kissed her once more. "Nervous about the mission, Knadia?" He knew it was her first true mission, having been able to stay away from danger for a long while.

"A bit," she quietly admitted. "What if those people we're supposed to take down are more skilled or more numerous than planned? …I…I just can't stand the thought of losing either of you."

Telonis smiled. "This is definitely a low-risk task, Knadia. We'll all live to see tomorrow and the next day and the next and the next… You'll see. Then we'll have our wedding and children and just be a happy family," he promised, kissing her again. "If you don't stop worrying, it'll only make it worse. You won't sleep, and you won't be ready to take them on."

He could feel her hesitate, even as she smiled at him. "I guess you're right, Telonis. It is true about the sleeping part at least."

It would be 12 hours before Nishunel and his companions were finally out on the road heading to the southern end of Ashenvale. According to reports, there were 4 members of the Horde going around and terrorizing some of the smaller settlements and especially alliance travelers moving through. The two druids had gone into their cat forms, and stealthed behind Nishunel to give the illusion that it was just one night elf hunter with his pet owl in case they didn't find the horde first.

It was a good idea on Telonis' part, really. Attacking a lone man instead of a group of almost the same size as their own was far more tempting. Nish kept a firm grip on his bow, and his arrows would take not even a second for him to notch. One of his long, elven ears twitched as he heard a twig snap, and turned to the sound with his bow at the ready in a swift motion. Glowing eyes surveyed the area, when he saw a large, tan-colored wolf. The odd thing that the male kaldorei found about it was that he could see the tree and leaves behind it! Just as he wondered where in Azeroth it could've possibly come from, a loud roar pierced the air.

"Shaman," growled Telonis, warning Nishunel as he found a troll rogue that had been hanging out close by. The feral cat form that he kept slapped a powerful, clawed paw at the offending rogue, sending him back a bit. That was two out of four horde members, but where were the other two?

The wolf, or shaman in a ghost wolf form, abruptly took off, and Nish directed his owl to go after to attack before it could potentially warn any of the other two horde members. The hunter didn't know much about shaman skills, but the watery orb that was floating around it denoted that was most likely their healer. This looked to be a long battle ahead if he or she was skilled enough. Luckily for the two alliance members they also had a healer, and she was still stealthed with what they both hoped was a low chance of needing to reveal herself.

Abruptly, the cobalt-haired Kaldorei felt something slam right into him, stunning him for a few precious moments. The one that assaulted him was an orc whose armor quickly signified a warrior. He attempted to move back as soon as his head stopped spinning, but felt the bite of the warrior's blade slice into his leg even as he moved.

The night elf hunter quickly notched an arrow and was surprised to see the warrior get lifted helplessly off the ground about two feet with swirling winds holding the enemy in place. The next thing he saw was green swirls of Druidic magic enter his body. Regrowth, he recognized. With the way Telonis was busy being in cat form and finishing that rogue off, the only other person able to do that was Knadia.

The hunter was indeed correct, his sister had come out of stealth and was quick to cyclone the warrior, then cast a healing spell on him and Telonis both before melding with the shadows using the ability all Kaldorei were born with.

"No!"

Knadia was surprised by the shout that came from her usually quiet brother. A ball of lightning caught her off guard as it hit her square in the back between her shoulder blades. The force of it knocked her out of the stationary stealth and into the tree trunk that the female Druid hid behind, a loud yelp leaving her throat as she collided with the bark.

Telonis let out a loud roar as he raked his claws through the rogue's midsection and quickly ran for his fiance's attacker. The culprit was an Orc shaman, now out of his wolf form. As a small ball of lightning spun around the Orc, the burning of flames started to become visible as he cast another spell, intent upon attacking again. Even as Telonis' cat form sped right for it, the orc's spell was interrupted by an arrow that sheathed itself brutally into the orc's neck. That threat was thus taken out.

It was at that moment that the cyclone Knadia had cast wore off, freeing the warrior. He immediately charged for Nishunel again, except this time the hunter's pet had returned. The owl quickly engaged the horde warrior, its beak tearing into a patch of exposed skin of his main sword arm. The howl that their foe gave was more of anger than pain; however, and he moved to slam into the bird. This action was his mistake. Telonis rushed up behind the warrior and went in for a kill at the throat.

Knadia, having recovered from the attack from the shaman, went up to Nish, first checking the leg to see if the gash he had gotten needed any further healing. "That was close," she commented, noting that the spell had done its job well enough for now. "But, we still have a fourth horde member to find, right?"

Nish paused for a moment, thinking as he watched his sister settle back down on the ground to rest a bit in a sitting position. "We had the warrior, the rogue and the healer shaman so-" Nish began, then caught himself mid-sentence. Something didn't seem right. What was off about the shaman? After a moment, his eyes widened in understanding, and his hand already notched another arrow by the time Telonis shouted a warning.

That shaman he had taken down had a ball of lightning going about it, not water. It wasn't the healer! Even as he looked in the direction that Telonis was watching, he frowned as the unfolding events merely confirmed what he had realized. The restoration shaman had taken the form of a troll and spent the past several seconds working on a big spell. Even as Nishunel loosed his arrow, a glow surrounded the rogue's body and the said rogue was ressurected. While he obviously was not in the best of shape, the troll rogue would still be a pain to take down again.

Nish threw down a flare first thing and Telonis rushed the shaman to keep him from healing the rogue. Nish had a poisoned arrow notched and was waiting for the rogue to show himself, frowning even more so. "Knadia, go into your cat form and stealth away as soon as you get outside of the flare," he ordered, his eyes searching for any sort of movement, anything that would give away the rogue's location.

Out of the corner of Nishunel's eye, he saw his sister move away as instructed and disappear from sight. With her in a safer place, he returned his full attention to finding that rogue. As his flare went out, he threw down another after a few moments, smirking a bit when he realized the rogue had come up close enough to be revealed.

"Thought I only had one?" He questioned, not caring that the rogue likely didn't understand him, and let an arrow tipped with poison strike. It would render the troll unable to stealth for long, so he had him now! His owl attacked for the kill as he loosed a few more arrows, taking the rogue down once again.

Knadia had returned to her elven form after that, watching as Telonis finished off the healer shaman. "Does either of you need any healing?" She questioned, looking pointedly at Telonis. He was the only one that had been in range to get hurt after all.

The male Druid also reverted to his real form, as bloody as it was, and shook his head. "No, I could use a good bath though," he stated as he turned his eyes to the fallen horde. Even he felt somber after taking care of such grim work. A silence fell amongst the three, causing each of them to feel ever more awkward as the time passed.

"Let's return to Astranaar and rest for a while," Nishunel finally spoke, breaking the uneasy silence. The Druid couple followed suit as the hunter led them back to get their reward and return home.

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><p>So, part 1 of our main group has been introduced. We'll move onto the other side of this plot coin next chapter, to Silvermoon!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: To Silvermoon

First, I would like to thank those of you that have been reading, those that have reviewed, and shown their support in general. :) I will try to respond to each review I get, at least in the story, but I may PM too if possible. So! This chapter we have the majority of our main characters introduced, and I even included a character cameo from the lovely Feffervesce. The identity of said character will be revealed at the end of the chapter, so not to spoil the surprise for anyone else that has read her works. If you haven't, I highly recommend them! She is a fantastic writer and artist. Ahem, anyway, a quick response to my only review so far:

Guest (no name given): Oh yes! I love the elves of Azeroth, amongst other races. All of them are interesting in their own ways.

Alright, without further interruption, here it is!

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><p>Chapter 2: To Silvermoon<p>

As this went on, across the ocean, to the other side of Azeroth, something else was taking place. The esteemed city of Silvermoon still shone like the sun during the day, even if the brilliant gem was seemingly forever scarred by the Lich King's conquests years before. Despite the grand history and populations that the Sindorei had seen before, their people had been dwindled down to a mere shadow of their former glory. With that, came largely empty streets, like that of a dying ghost town. People still roamed and dealt in commerce, yes, but it wasn't the same that Naydeen remembered from her childhood.

The female elf had been gone for almost two years, training in a set of skills that weren't currently commonplace yet – although there were rumors floating about that it may not always be so. Still, it was a good feeling to finally feel competent enough to come home and work as she had wanted to. The first place she had gone to once she arrived was her own home. It felt entirely too good to come back to a place in which she was entirely familiar with. Removing her armor and donning a simple dress she had made was the final sign for her that she was really and truly home. Not only was she home, but she had plans to meet up with her friends now that she could casually stroll up to do so.

While she had over an hour before she was due to arrive at the home of her best friend, Naydeen had decided to go over there early. A small smile spread across her features as she wondered what may have happened that hadn't been covered in their written correspondences, not to mention what sort of projects they had worked on. Stopping at the familiar door she had been walking towards, her hand knocked on the door.

It was a few moments before the door opened and another blood elf female was revealed inside. The look on her face had been slight annoyance, but that quickly gave way to surprise and happiness. "Naydeen!" the woman exclaimed. "You're so early, dear. I apologize that I'm not quite ready with your welcome home party but do please come inside!"

Rune was the latest in a line of mages, and it often did show in her fancier tastes for things. Most mages in Silvermoon were highly regarded and Naydeen's dear friend wasn't overlooked. However, while the fire mage had a taste for the finest things in life, her early friendship with the other woman kept her mostly grounded. The only thing that couldn't be kept grounded was the fact that woman was gorgeous – the problem being that Rune knew her beauty and wasn't afraid to use it. It wasn't uncommon for her to talk to Naydeen about some man or a city guard that had fallen for her.

Naydeen was led to a music room where she was surprised to see a blood elf priest, a male this time. A large smile spread across her face as she happily walked up to him. "Kantal, I didn't think you'd be here so soon," she said, eyes shining from being around the two most important people in her life thus far. While Rune and Naydeen had known each other as children, Kantal didn't come into their circle much later on.

The woman's dream, and reason for being in the Argent Dawn for training was that she wanted to become a paladin. As such training was unavailable to the Sindorei, Naydeen started her first training as a priestess to learn how to use and channel light magic. The training had honestly given her a head start when she went to learn the real skill set she was after. Thus, it was during that timeframe in which she had met and befriended Kantal. It wasn't long before her training in Silvermoon ended that she had gotten Kantal and Rune to meet each other, and the trio just simply clicked into place.

They all sat down and started to discuss all sorts of things that had happened in the past two years, along with a few jokes made at Rune's expense. Both Naydeen and Kantal felt lucky that she was the kind of mage to have a sense of humor. Most would simply turn their noses up, while a few might have them staring down a fireball or be turned into sheep. Their friend instead took these things in stride, if not laughing and joining in on such banter.

Two hours easily passed before Kantal paused during their conversations and glanced at a nearby clock. "Our last guest still hasn't arrived," he commented, his gaze turning to the women. Naydeen had gone quiet and had a sort of melancholy look in her eyes while Rune scoffed and waved off the comment.

"After what he did, I would be shocked if he did show his smirking, pig face," Rune commented with her nose tilted up. "Beowulf should be far more than ashamed for the disgusting actions he pulled on Naydeen."

Beowulf was their resident rogue, a man with dark hair similar to Kantal's athough that was perhaps the only other thing the two had in common aside of being Sindorei. While Kantal was honest, Beowulf wasn't quite as against lies if it meant self-gain. The priest also was generally humble while rogue's arrogance often got the best of him. There were many, many things that they had learned that the man had a stomach for that none of them did. So, in all honesty, Naydeen wouldn't be surprised if the man had snuck inside at some point and was staying stealthed to listen in on them.

"Tut," said a voice, elegant and smooth, despite the word choice. "I was perfectly within my rights to do what I did."

The trio looked around the room, only stopping once the said rogue revealed himself. He regarded them with a smirk and holding up his gloved hands. "Now now," Beowulf chided, glancing at each of them. "I was invited here too, after all."

Rune huffed a bit, glaring as if the look would become daggers at him. "Against my better judgement, yes, I did invite you here. However, I can say wholeheartedly I am not happy about that either."

Beowulf chuckled at the mage's temper. Whether or not she was doing it on purpose, it gave his blood a completely different reason to warm up to her. He then looked to Naydeen who had been simply watching all of this play out. This was the first he had seen her in gods knew how long. It was longer than the others for certain. "And I assume the reason I am here is because of our good lady?"

"Yes, that would be correct," Kantal stated, even his expression showing a bit of dislike towards the shady rogue. It seemed he was less popular than even he had thought.

The thought amused Beowulf. About six years ago, when Naydeen started training as a priestess, the two of them had been in a relationship. While most women he wouldn't have thought twice in cheating on, he actually had a soft spot for the elf. Unfortunately, there was a period of time in the training that all priests had to abstain from all sorts of entertainment and focus entirely upon their souls and the light. This, tragically as far as Beowulf was concerned, also meant bedroom intimacy was out of the question for a year or more.

They had broken up their relationship before that, as even Naydeen wasn't fool enough to believe he'd wait for her. The problem did not lie in the fact he didn't wait long to pursue other women, no, not at all.

"And Rune, you didn't even once consider to invite me to your home?" he teased her, smirk covering his face again. He was purposely egging on the mage. "Perhaps if not to your home as a guest, perhaps to your bed?"

The flash of anger in Rune's eyes was most certainly expected. However, the scowl on Kantal's face was not. "She doesn't have that sort of time for the likes of you," the priest nearly snarled. It was quite unlike him and Beowulf regarded the man in a slight moment of surprise.

Rune shot Kantal a look that roughly translated to 'back off and let me handle this' before looking to Beowulf. "You've already tried to get into my bed before, and where did you end up? You know I wouldn't let you anywhere near-"

The dark-haired rogue cut her off. "Oooh, such a saint, Rune! Yes, bravo, you turned me down in a grand show of what a terribly honest and good friend you are!" Beowulf then smirked. "But, oh mighty goddess, please do enlighten us as to how many of the city guard alone you have bedded! Perhaps tell us the exact number of lovers you've had these past five years if you can even count them!"

The man let out a hearty laugh at the sight of the mage's fuming eyes, rather happy to remind them how much of a hypocrite the woman was. While Rune may be loyal to her friends, the woman wasn't anywhere near a saint.

"Beowulf!"

The one yelling at him this time was surprisingly Naydeen, who snapped at all the fighting. She took in a deep breath to calm herself, before speaking at a normal volume but with an icy undertone. "If you can't act in a civilized manner, please leave," she stated, looking at him.

Beowulf sighed. "Although she is practically begging for my attention, I will adhere to your wishes. For now anyhow," he relented, looking to the other two elves. He had thrown down his cards on the table concerning this. It was their move.

Rune decided to stand up from where she had taken a seat, and started for the door. "I need to check on the last bit of food," was her excuse, in an unconvincing monotone. Kantal wordlessly got up to follow her out this time, the priest's steps quick to catch up to her. While they had been chatting for the past couple of hours, she had gone every so often to make sure she wasn't burning their lunch. Honestly, the mage wasn't that much of a cook, but she had been trying to get better at it.

This in turn left only Naydeen and Beowulf in the room together. The former stared at the latter before asking, "why did you come back, Beo? Was it because you wanted to take stabs at everyone?"

The male rogue looked at her for a few moments in silence before letting a breath escape. "I came back because I wanted to see you. If, we both liked what we saw, perhaps even spend some more quality time together," he replied, flashing a smile to her. To his credit, he did not take a seat nearby like he would have in the past.

Still, Naydeen wasn't sure what to think about his offer. Yes, a part of her still loved him, and he had only gotten more handsome since she last seen him, but the rest of her was screaming warnings about this. If her other friends were here, she knew they would second that latter part of her. She had to say something though, and although she started to, the man picked up on the paladin's struggle.

"You don't have to answer now, Naydeen," he assured her. "I wanted to just let you know that I still thought fondly of you."

"Why did you do it, Beo?"

The words had come out of the paladin's mouth before she could even think to stop them, and she looked away in the shame of her outburst. It had been on her mind for a long while now, and now that she had a chance to get some answers, it seemed her heart had jumped way ahead of her mind. It also gave away how much it had hurt, which she had been advised against telling him.

Had she been looking at him, a flash of regret on his face would've been noticeable. However, the moment came and went and Beowulf turned to pace a bit. "It was a fool decision, Naydeen. Due to her nature, I didn't think you and Rune were so close or that she would tell you about my attempt to woo her," he stated. "As for why her, it's because she was beautiful and the most likely available at the time."

It was true, not even two weeks after her split from him the rogue had gone straight up to Rune's door in an attempt to get between her legs. He had been surprised when she shot him down immediately and kicked him out of her home that evening. While he did not think it wise to tell Naydeen, Beowulf was almost certain that despite Rune's strong rejection she had wanted him in the past. "In any case, nothing happened beyond that," he further commented, breaking the silence that had fallen down on them.

"I don't know if I can forgive you for it," was all Naydeen could say, looking his way. She had trusted him to have some sort of honor concerning those particular boundaries and he had destroyed that trust. She decided then and there that she couldn't let him get to her again.

"Lunch is served," Kantal called out before coming through a door.

Rune and Kantal were both carrying serving trays with bowls of a roast stew and bread on one with glasses and iced bottles of wine on the other. As ice was impossible to keep without charms, it was likely chilled by Rune's frost magic. As they set the trays on table, Rune then moved to pull out two wrapped gifts that were hiding behind the bottles of chilled wine. With a bright smile, she held out thefirst one to Naydeen.

"Here, Dear. I know most people wait until after eating for gifts, but I've been holding onto these for months for you," the mage stated, blatantly ignoring the presence of the blood elf rogue.

Naydeen blinked and gingerly took the first gift that was offered to her. It was wrapped in a pretty white paper with a royal blue bow on top. "I didn't get anything for any of you," she commented sadly as she turned the box over a few times, reluctant to open it.

"Nonsense!" Rune waved it off. "This entire party is to welcome you home to Silvermoon where you belong."

Kantal also decided to add in his own comment by saying, "It wouldn't be a party without gifts, and there's only two after all."

A small smile caught on Naydeen's face at both of them and nodded. "If you two insist then," she said, plucking the bow off the top and working the package open. It didn't take but a few moments before she opened the box to see a trinket inside. It was a crimson red object, spherical like an orb. Golden filigree was delicately wrapped around it and the object easily fit in the palm of her hand, being approximately the size of a plum. As she held onto it, the trinket quietly hummed with magic.

Looking to Rune and Kantal, she then asked, "What does it do? It's obviously enchanted somehow."

Rune laughed. "As far as I can tell, absolutely nothing. I can't even get a boost to focusing my magic with it," she answered, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "However, I thought it was very pretty and that you would appreciate having it as perhaps a good luck charm."

Naydeen couldn't help but giggle a bit herself as she placed it back into the box. "I will keep it on me at all times," she promised, then looking to the other wrapped gift. It was longer, but shorter, and Naydeen suspected it was a piece of jewelry. Rune's profession was jeweler, who often enchanted rings and necklaces that she made as well. So it wasn't uncommon for her to give such things as gifts.

Kantal handed her the box this time, and nodded. "This is something we both put time and money into making for you," he stated pleasantly, his eyes betraying the anticipation he felt in her opening that one. It must be the best of the gifts, with that look.

Naydeen opened that one with the same care as the first, and once she lifted the top of that box up, her breath caught in her throat. A golden necklace was inside, holding an oval shaped pendant with a round, blue gem that she couldn't name set in the middle. The gem was framed with opals set around in a circle to make it even more elegant. This also had been enchanted, and she looked to Rune questioningly.

"That pendant," Rune began, her face shining in excitement. "Is a very, very special gift. You could say, it's a bit exotic. You see, the blue gem is a diamond, but the enchantments on it give it that celestial look. I don't recommend activating the enchantment on it until you're out though – preferably while you're alone and an open space."

Naydeen looked between the two gifters. "And why is that? What does it do?" she questioned, noting the devious look in Rune's eyes. She focused her gaze to Kantal in hopes that he would tell her.

"If I told you, it would spoil the surprise," Kantal replied, chuckling as he was finishing getting the bowls ready for the meal. Each had a few slices of bread that he just cut, and frankly, it smelled far better than anything Rune had made in the past.

However, with the way Kantal had been there for a while it was probably more his work than hers. Naydeen felt a bit more loved by them than before, if Rune was able to set down her pride and let someone help her make a meal that was more than just edible. The only good cooking Rune typically did was the food she conjured, and that didn't really count.

Once they settled for the late lunch, the trio delved into more catching up as to what had been going on while they were all away. The fourth member of the party, Beowulf, simply resigned himself to eating while watching the others speak. However, during that time, an idea came into the rogue's mind and a smirk planted itself on his face as he listened, biding his time. Once he finished, he quietly stealthed and left the building.

It would be dusk by the time Naydeen was finally ready to go home, and even then she was reluctant to leave. It had been a long two years and this evening had passed by far too quickly. Hugs were given and the paladin started out alone. Kantal had apparently volunteered to help Rune with the clean up and they both insisted Naydeen just go out and enjoy herself. They had also reminded her of the pendant that was now around her neck. The enchantment's mystery had been the final push to get her to go out.

As she rounded a corner, a hand on her shoulder caused her to freeze and stiffen. Looking behind her, a breath of relief was pushed past her lips. "Beowulf, what are you doing?" she questioned, regarding him with slight wariness. Why that was, she wasn't sure. He could've knocked her out easily if he wanted to do some harm.

"I wanted to see you one more time before I leave tomorrow," he stated simply. Pausing a moment, he waited a bit to see if she would inquire on her own before continuing on himself. "I'm leaving to…to become a paladin like yourself."

The look of surprise was plainly seen on her face, and Beowulf didn't want to give any other explanation of why. He figured that as a rogue, he wouldn't have much of a prayer to get her forgiveness. While he knew his actions had been to blame, he also knew that it was much, much easier to blame a rogue than it was a paladin. He didn't wish to be written off so easily and he was committed to the task now. For a moment, he was tempted to try to kiss her. But, he stopped himself and stealthed again, vanishing from view.

"If something were to happen to me, my belongings will be sent to you," he said quietly, keeping out of her sight.

Naydeen found her bearings again, and turned in hopes of seeing him, but…this wasn't going to happen. "Beowulf, good luck," she said, looking to an open area she could use her pendant. As she stepped forward, she found herself hoping he would say something more, but…it was over.

Naydeen merely walked over to the small plot of land between buildings and looked down at the pendant. It was beautiful work, and she felt grateful to them for doing this for her. Grabbing hold of it, the paladin activated the enchantment on it, and her eyes widened as she saw something start to form in front of her. At first, it wasn't clear what it would be, just something that was a sparkling azure. Then it took shape within a matter of seconds, revealing a flying horse made of the magical material that had left the pendant.

"Rune was right… It is a bit exotic," she whispered, gently reaching out to the mount. She had seen something about this before though in a book somewhere. What was it called? Stellar? No, it was celestial. Rune and Kantal had gotten a celestial steed for her. Unlike more conventional mounts, this one wouldn't need food or room and board. It was created entirely from magic. Returning the steed back to its place, Naydeen quickly decided to go home.

Meanwhile, back at Rune's home, she and Kantal had just finished cleaning up the rest of the mess that had been left over from the low-key party. The mage and priest had worked quietly up until then, and Kantal sunk down into the soft armchair that he had been using before. Rune walked up behind the chair, and started to massage his shoulders a bit.

"I really appreciated the help today, Kantal Dearest," she said softly, letting her voice do its own work on him to supplement the physical contact. "Would you want to-"

Kantal surprisingly cut her off. "When are we going to tell Naydeen?" he asked, looking up at her. The mage looked at him with an innocent expression.

"Tell Naydeen what?" she asked, leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead. Oh, she knew exactly what he was meaning, and a slight smirk made its way on her face.

"About this," Kantal responded, a bit frustrated and determined to get her to say it herself. Although, despite himself, he enjoyed the games she played with him. The woman was an incurable tease.

"This," she repeated back to him, looking as innocent as possible. "Could you possibly elaborate a bit? 'This' isn't very descriptive." She felt the priest grab her wrist and tug a bit, wordlessly telling her to come around. Without question she went around and wasn't surprised when he pulled her sideways onto his lap. Rune's lips moved into a pout, which she knew Kantal often found rather adorable. "Hmm…is this supposed to help me? Or are you just lonely?"

Upon seeing Rune pout at him, the priest couldn't help but chuckle as he held her close. "Both, I suppose," he gave in, just a tad. "Don't you think we've kept this hidden long enough?"

The mage gently pressed her lips to his once, then twice, before pulling back just enough to let her forehead rest against his. "Oh…" she began, smiling at him. "You want to tell her about us? About how very naughty you really are? Kantal, for being a man of the cloth, you are so devilish."

Kantal grinned at her. "And I blame at least 60% of it on you," he said, thinking he had won.

"Just 60? Hmm…I should work harder on that then. My aspiration is be at least 95," she giggled, nuzzling her face into the nape of his neck. But she refrained from anything else, wanting to make him do something first. The mage pulled back enough to resume keeping her forehead pressed against his. "So allow me to get this straight. You want me to tell Naydeen about how I easily seduced you in the very church you were training in during the time of reflection, when she was in the next room for two hours? Or perhaps I should tell her how I constantly had to sneak in through your window at night to have our little affairs for the entirety of when you were supposed to be celibate? Or how about the fact I've been seeing you exclusively ever since that first night?"

She could feel Kantal hesitate, and she smiled at him. "Well, am I correct?" He had thought he won this, but that moment of hesitation heralded her victory – at least for now.

"Yes, but," Kantal began, then gave up. "I suppose what she doesn't know will not hurt her. It's not as though she has interest in either of us beyond that of friendship – or in your case, seeing you as a sister." He brought a hand up to run his fingers through her wavy, blonde hair. Unlike Naydeen's short, platinum-blonde color, his lover's hair was like a rich honey that went down to her waist.

Unable to hold back anymore, the dark-haired priest kissed her with a hungry vigor, his hands snaking around so that one arm was around her back and the other was under her knees. Even as they kissed almost desperately, he stood up and carried her to the bedroom to spend the rest of the night together.

The next afternoon, the trio met up again only this time it was in a more public area, a cafe area towards the main commerce section of Silvermoon. It was fairly quiet to be sitting outside at one of the tables, even if there were some sounds of commerce not too far away. Rune had bought tea and little cakes for them, an odd breakfast for the lot but the mage had insisted on it. While they chatted a bit, both Naydeen and Rune rummaged through papers of wanted work that they had collected.

"So many of these quests asking to kill people..." Rune whined, wrinkling her nose a bit in disgust. "Why can't there be more people asking for jewels or clothing like we used to do?"

Kantal laughed a bit, before shaking his head. "Times keep changing all around us. We are being allied with the Horde after all," he commented before sipping a bit of his tea.

"And I don't care much for that. They're so barbaric and their taste is so drab," sighed the fire mage, setting down the papers she had been sifting through.

"What about an escort mission?" Naydeen questioned, reading one of the papers she had gotten. "This one says scholars need an escort from Orgrimmar to a neutral settlement in Winterspring."

Kantal raised an eyebrow. "Does it mention the nature of their business? Just scholars?" He questioned. He didn't particularly trust the motives of people claiming to be scholars going out to some gods forsaken place on Azeroth.

"It doesn't mention much more than historical research," Naydeen replied. "But they are paying rather well, likely because of Felwood and getting past Kaldorei settlements made it too dangerous for them to attempt alone."

The three stayed quiet for a few moments, each mulling over their options before Rune chimed in, "While I don't care much for the cold, or dealing with the creatures in Felwood, it does sound less foolish than going around and having you lop off heads for slights that might not even be real."

Naydeen pondered that more before saying, "although, if we run into a Kaldorei settlement, wouldn't that turn bloody fairly quickly?"

"It could," Kantal answered. "However, the Kaldorei towns are less quick to change than even our own, so if we find a map of them it won't be a problem to avoid them." The male priest held out his hand to Naydeen, wordlessly requesting the paper with the quest information. Upon receiving it, he perused the document looking for choice words that would hint at worse things.

"Well, 600 gold pieces is fairly pricey as far as rewards go. That may be the only hint we have that their business isn't as innocent as it seems," he commented.

Rune reached over and pulled the paper out of his hands and gave it a look for herself. A large smirk plastered itself on her face as she read the instructions. A flash of recognition swept the smirk away and replaced it with full laughter. "Ahahahaha! Oh gods this is beautiful!"

Both Naydeen and Kantal regarded Rune with curiosity and perhaps a tinge of concern.

"Why do you say that?" Naydeen asked, watching the mage continue to crack up.

After a few moments, Rune composed herself enough to hold the laughter back with an amused smile, though the corner of her mouth twitched a bit in a threat of more laughter. "You see, Remuel, the man commissioning this quest... I know him."

She paused and pouted a bit when she saw the looks on their faces. "Not like that! He's a mage that was in the academy like I was. However...let's just say I wouldn't trust going through any of his portals. The man has more money than common sense, so I could see him giving this much for an escort mission. He can't fight worth anything and money is of no consequence so adventurers would be worth that much to him. I say we pay him a visit and take him. With any luck, it will take us no more than three days to get to his destination."

Kantal brought his hand up to his chin in thought over this. "I could use a couple hundred gold, and if this person is the asinine idiot that you claim, he's likely not the scamming sort of trouble we usually avoid... My vote is for yes as well. How do you feel about this, Naydeen?"

Both pairs of eyes went to their paladin, knowing they would certainly need her to go with. While she had studied both holy healing and protection defense, the latter was her specialty. Her shield was key to their defense.

"Mmm...why not? When do we leave?" Was Naydeen's answer.

"While the price may keep more cautious people away due to scammers, it won't keep all of them. So, we should get our armor and weapons, and enough supplies to last the trip. After that, go immediately to find this fool," Kantal grinned. Now that he knew for sure the quest was genuine, and thus the reward was, he was rather pumped to get it done.

"Or, let's just get our armor and weapons and worry about supplies once we know we have the job," stated Naydeen, smiling at Kantal.

"That makes far more sense, Naydeen," Rune said, giggling as she patted Kantal on the shoulder sympathetically. "I agree with the rest of what you said though, dear."

It took less than an hour for them to be ready, and to get to the indicated tavern, called The Emerald Gem. Upon their arrival, however, the trio wondered if their possible employer really was in there.

"This place is a mess," was Naydeen's first comment as she gawked at the rowdy company the building offered. Mercenaries, soldiers, drunks, whores, and of course rogues filled the chairs of the establishment. Looking to the other two, she could merely hope that they would get in and out fairly quickly. The place honestly looked to be worse for their health than any killing quest they could've taken up.

"Indeed," Rune sniffed. "I don't suppose you need to be reminded to keep an eye on your valuables. Naydeen, dear, make sure to hide that pendant of yours - I won't be able to get another for quite some time."

Kantal led the way inside, though kept looking back to his two female companions for any sign that Remuel had been found. Lady Luck didn't seem to be smiling on them any time soon though, considering the mage was nowhere in sight yet. What was even worse was that he could tell that some of the patrons of the tavern had become interested in his female companions. Aside from one being his lover, the priest was rather protective of both of them and did not care for spending much more time there. He looked back again to Rune questioningly, who pointed to an empty table.

"Are you sure you want to stay here and wait? What if he's gone?" Kantal asked, even as he took a seat opposite of Rune. Naydeen was quick to sit next to him, not trusting the tavern's occupants enough to sit away from the wall.

Rune made a face and looked to the paper again. "This is the right place, I am sure of it. He could be in the bathroom or something? Gods only know with this place," she began. However, the next thing out of her mouth was "Excuse me?"

A man, blood elf, had sauntered right up to their table and taken the vacant chair next to Rune before practically throwing his arm around her shoulder, his hand idly toying with the chain around her neck. "You're excused," he grinned, the action making the oddly shaped mustache on his face curl up a bit more.

An audible sigh escaped Rune's lips, before she regarded the apparently drunk man with a glare. "Honestly, as if that weren't used time and time again. Although, if you're going to come over here, you may as well tell us if you've seen a mage name Remuel lately," she said, her eyes struggling to not be too obvious in watching his hand as it harmlessly played with the golden chain. While the blatant flirting unnerved Naydeen, it seemed to only annoy the other two of the trio. Kantal's eyes were on this newcomer and he wasn't at all pleased.

"Maybe, maybe not. You know how this goes, yea? You give me some incentive, and I'll fess up what I know," the male smirked, his eyes not holding back as they roamed over first Rune, then Naydeen.

Naydeen rolled her eyes and looked to Kantal, who was having more difficulty in staying silent. But both of the elves held their tongues to let Rune deal with him.

A giggle left the female mage's throat. "Oh how darling! A comedian. Tell me, what's your name, dear?" The bright smile on her face usually dazzled people and while he wasn't dazzled, he did seem pleased.

Pausing for a moment, the man made a half bow with his free arm and said, "Raphael Amaranth, though I would like to have yours in return."

Rune felt the slightest of shifts around her neck and immediately grabbed her pendant. The chain had been unclasped and had she not been alert about it, would likely be in this men's possession now.

Rune shot Raphael a knowing look and smirked at him triumphantly. "Rune is all you need to know. So, funny man or Raphael, since you're such a comedian, have you heard the one where the fire mage burns off the pervert rogue's mustache?" She asked, the smallest of fireballs conjuring in her free hand. "Or perhaps I should show you?"

Raphael was certainly not happy at being caught, and he could correctly assess that they must have known another rogue. Either way, the woman was more alert than what was good for his business. "Well I'd rather not," he said coolly, deciding that the odds were not in his favor currently. "Perhaps another time."

With that, Raphael quickly took off for another part of the tavern to continue his work elsewhere.

Once he was out of earshot, the mage looked to the paladin. "Wasn't he cute though, Naydeen?" She giggled, causing Kantal to place his palm on his face, covering his eyes in exasperation.

Naydeen blinked and looked at Rune confused. "But wasn't he just trying to steal your necklace?" She questioned. Sometimes, the words coming out of her friend even surprised her.

Rune waved off the question. "Oh yes, I knew his angle the moment he put his hand on my necklace. He uses his good looks and wit to do all sorts of things I'm sure. But, that doesn't mean we can't appreciate that particular effort," she explained. "His mistake was targeting another person that has been on his level." Her gaze traveled to Kantal and offered him a wink once Naydeen wasn't looking, her own version of reassurance that she still preferred him.

Kantal smiled softly at her in return, before noticing that past their table someone else was watching their group. The manner of the man was that of higher society, and although the priest first questioned it, the dress of the man wasn't like the rogues and usual drunkards. Perhaps, this was their quarry? "Rune, would that be him sitting a few tables behind us?" he asked.

The female mage turned in her seat, replying, "It most certainly is. Remuel must have gotten in while Amaranth was trying to take my necklace," she commented, looking to Kantal and Naydeen. "Shall we tackle this one together?"

"That's why we're here," answered Naydeen, smiling at her two companions.

Once they were all on their feet, it took little time to close the distance between Remuel and themselves. The man was rather handsome with his short, auburn hair, even with glasses on his face. However, despite the general observation that this man didn't do any fighting or actual work, there was a bit of sleeziness hiding just barely beneath the surface.

Kantal moved first, holding out the paper to the male mage. "You're Remuel Sunstone, correct?" he began things off, attempting to keep some semblance of professionalism. A scholar of any renown would surely appreciate that, or so he thought anyway.

The man grabbed the paper in Kantal's hand and reclined a bit back in his chair, merely glancing at the contents before directing his fel green eyes back to the group. "Depends on who wants to know, especially in here. I take it you're responding to this ad?" he responded finally, sounding a bit bored.

"Yes, we are," the male priest frowned, looking to Rune. He was trusting this man less and less. "As you can see, there are three of us willing to escort you and split the payment equally. I'm a priest that can either act offensively or as a healer. My paladin friend-"

Remuel cut him off there. "A paladin? You don't say?" he stated, looking at Naydeen with a look that sent a chill down her spine. It was a look that was similar to a scientist wanting to dissect an animal to see how it functioned. He immediately straightened his posture and grabbed hold of her armored hand, not caring it was covered as he kissed the spot where her knuckles were. "Is it true? A sword of the light in such a dark place as this?"

"Remuel, honestly… You act like she's the only paladin in Azeroth. And besides, Kantal is a priest of the light 'in such a dark place as this' as you so put it," Rune interrupted.

"Heh...and I suppose you're the third person of that party? I already know you. You're still practicing fire as your primary discipline, Rune?" Remuel asked, letting go of Naydeen's hand. "Aside, of course, from the finer art of spreading your-"

"We are here on business only!" Kantal interrupted, feeling rather annoyed after everything and just wanted to get out of this place without a fight between mages erupting. "So, do you or do you not still need people to escort you and a few others to Winterspring for research?"

Remuel looked at Kantal, almost as unamused by the priest as the other was of him. "Keep Rune's mouth shut and it's a deal," he remarked, pulling out a paper folded paper and holding it out. "This is your map, along with instructions as to where we will meet and the route I intend on taking. If you don't back out, meet me there."

"We'll be there," Naydeen said, looking to her friends with a smile.

Thus, the deal was sealed.

* * *

><p>Alright! So, the cameo in question was, of course, Raphael Amaranth. Again, he belongs to Feffervesce. Next chapter, our two groups will meet for the first time!<p> 


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